Chopping the Block

I'm on a mini quest to get my writing chops back so in between looking for new work I've been swaddled up at my desk doing some projects. Once again my attention leans towards doing my pithy end of year roundup for the best games I got around to playing this year. It's always a nice exercise as I'm basically writing elevator pitches for games, you need to be picky with what to include and how to sell your viewpoint with as few words as possible. I nailed one of them and made some great headway on a few others. Had I not woken up so late this morning on account of having 3 pints on a school night I would have smashed it even more.

Board Games with the Old Boss

We did a double date of sorts in the evening with my old PM and his partner at a board game cafe. We bought in tickets for mulled wine and cookies (a festive starter pack) but we had the run of the place the whole time we were there. Which was great, because I did a couple of loud belly laughs while teaching them Skull and The Mind, two lil' board games that normally go down a treat but landed extra hard tonight with our crowd. Been little while since I did anything out in the town as well. If I'm behind honest with myself I think I've become a little introverted, I gotta get used to being with people that aren't Rebecca and the cat.

Bye Bake Off

Made it my business to call up our internet provider to tell them I was thinking of ending things. Virgin have just been a bit naff as it turns out. A side-grade from PlusNet that never quite blew our socks off. They always give the company empathy the role of damage control when you're telling them your leaving. The softly spoken Scottish chap who tenderly asks if there's anything they can do that'll make you change you mind. It's not me, it's you I tell them. Upshot is we got new blood coming in soon™, another service provider, another agreeable startup deal for switching and more hopes that our wifi reaches the bathroom so I can watch YouTube on the toilet. 

The Bake Off final was also tonight. Louis and Rachel swung by like clockwork as we shared the TV license to see the winner crowned. Always a little sad once our annual ritual comes to a close. I'll be putting my home baking skills on ice now (until I do mince pies again in December). As the Christmas ads begun pouring in during the breaks and bake off goes off air, then I know that Autumn has drawn to an end.

Tactility and Transcendence

Suffered a few more technical setback than I wanted throughout the day before uploading my video. Progress bar monitoring was my primary function but we got there in the end. At last, my latest video, Tactility and Transcendence in Red Dead Redemption 2 has been unleashed to the world.

It started as a small idea back in December of 2020. The form and direction was iterated upon several times over the last 3 years as the scope and intangibility of the project grew. Marrying gameplay commentary, abstract time comments and John Ford into a script was a tall order but I think I managed to not sound entirely incoherent. Then actually cutting the video was a weird one as finding evocative footage to cover a 22 minute piece was trickier than I had anticipated. 

BUT... I am very pleased with the final result and proudly I can share my Cowboy brainchild to the world. Here's a link to the video.

She's a Killer

During my early morning doom-scrolling session I went down a small rabbit hole for mods for a cat video game we played last year. Turns out a few fans have made it so you can change the colourations on the in-game cat, including a tortoise shell variant that looks not dissimilar to Edi.

I thought it was a quirky little thing, she's a very dear cat to Rebecca and me so it was a cute way to amp up the enjoyment of being a cat owner.

Then I went downstairs. I spotted a weird brownish patch on the carpet at the foot of the stairs where Edi was hovering. Oh great, she's been sick again. I continued downstairs and noticed a second patch. I rolled my eyes, but in the half-light of earlyish Winter mornings I only realized what the two patches were once I got closer.

One patcb was the half-carcus of an eviscerated mouse. The other was the entrails of said mouse.

Diligently, I strapped on some rubber gloves and inverted a carrier bag to scoop up the carrion. That was the rough end of the stick as Rebecca just had to use Vanish in the bloodstains. I never truly realized this but within their sphere, cats are apex predictors. I ate my breakfast in silence, occasionally shooting Edi a side eye as mulled over the dormant side of her I had never considered. I'd not really scooped up a properly dead thing like that before til today, whenever I recall it I lean into a domestic thousand years stare.

Suffice to say, I did not download the cat mod for the game. I'd rather lost my appetite.

Dr Who

Rebecca has been having a slightly stressful week at work so I wanted to try and make her Saturday extra easy going. I let her sleep in, I made her breakfast and we hung out for almost the whole day. Time flew as a result, so much so that I almost forgot to eat my lunch! It sure is nice getting to spend the day with your favorite person. 

We saw the new Dr Who episode too which left me feeling ambivalent. Rebecca was a little offended by this, she holds a bit more reverie for the Doctor, while I enjoyed my time with it back in the day, but there's not a big room in my heart for the show. I'll try and watch the remaining two episodes of this anniversary thing, but I fear my feelings towards the show won't have changed by that time.

Done and Dusted

I made a checklist of all the little things I had to do to polish off my video. A few hours later, I put a bow on it and even made the thumbnail. In fact, it's as good as live now, though I want to officially publish it next week when the Americans are done with their Thanksgiving break. Feels a bit odd now that it's done. I instinctively go to open my editing software, but there was no need. I could fine tune it within an inch of its life but it just needs to head out into the world to make friends.

My Biggest Fan and Critic

 Aside from making myself a few cups of coffee, I spent 12 hours at my desk. All to serve the mighty video that's just around the corner. Literally, I showed the near-final cut to Rebecca this evening (she's my greatest fan and critic) so I just need to do some technical wizardry and a final pass then it'll be shipped off and sent into the world. Oh, and I need to make a thumbnail, get my Photoshop skills out to make something eye catching.

Music Maketh

The lyre was used by ancient Greek storytellers to influence the mood of their yarn. Fast forward a millennia and now they are used in films and people's tiny YouTube projects. Music is like a cheat code to people's emotions, use the right track and you're on the highway to the soul. I'm chosing my tracks very carefully in my project right now so I can marry the tone of the writing with the flow of the video. It's also a prime excuse to throw in a cheeky montage which I love crafting. 

The end is in sight now. More than anything else I'm just eager to reclaim about 300gb of hard drive space currently spent on gameplay clips of horse riding.

Premiere Flourish

Knuckled down to a serious session of video editing. The new one is now approaching end game, just a few more building blocks of clips to chunk in then it's down to the fine tuning stage. I had a bit of wiggle room to do some of the slightly more fun parts of editing, I love doing little montage moments to break up the pacing and to signpost new points of the video. While it ain't rocket science, I've always considered myself to have a good internal barometer for how to cut to music and how long to stay on a clip. With those little flourishes in place I'll have a video that I'll be somewhat chuffed with. One thing is for sure though, I'm certainly not doing a near 20 minute video on a big budget, open world game over a three year gap again. I'll keep it simple next time thank you.

Double Upgrade

Got my laptop back from its session in the shop. The screen got a lil crack in it but now it's as good as new! All that dust from half a dozen Production Trucks has finally been blown off my display, I can finally see things again. That wasn't my only upgrade either, I ordered a new power unit for my PC which I spent a bit of the evening installing. That's really more of an under the hood upgrade that doesn't do anything tangible in the moment, but it keeps my system healthy and happy. I'm still chuffed that I've become PC literate. I only had to briefly refer to a YouTube video on the subject, otherwise all my knowledge was in my brain already.

Kaputt Kettle

Woke up to the sound of something loud from the kitchen. Apparently Mum took it upon herself to make a cup of tea by taking our kettle and yanking the top off like a Greek God does to the head of an unenlightened mortal. 6 years that kettle served us but it bought the farm just in time for Black Friday at least. A replacement unit was bought and no harm was done. 

Before mum fled the scene of the crime we took her up North Street to see the Sunday Market and to eat some pokebowls. I also got a haircut out of the deal. I hope she had a good little weekend in town with us - shame the weather always has other plans but we kept on smiling even in a downpour.

Real Life Mario(?)

Rounded up the family and hit the Totterdown Arts Trail early doors. So ahead of the game in fact we were one person's first customer. We hit all the old standbys and favourite venues, as Louis so aptly said at one point 'it feels like no time has passed since last year.' A little older I guess but everything else had stayed the same. I didn't end up buying anything this year as nothing jumped out at me, but it was nice to see the community come together for such a big event.

We cooked everyone a chicken skewer and couscous dinner, but not before a rouge knock on the door. It was my neighbor who delivered a call to action I couldn't resist. 'Please come quick, there's a water-related emergency in my house.' I stepped over the threshold into a waterlogged hallway. A water pipe from under the kitchen sink was spraying water. You'd like to think that years of playing as a virtual plumber would have prepared me for this moment, but sadly it was beyond my expertise. I spent 30 minutes getting hosed down by Maine water as I attempted to reconnect some pipes. It was all in vain though as there was nothing to be done until the water was shut off. Me and the neighbors' family all chipped in til the emergency plumber arrived. We found a bit of PVC piping and managed to route it into rapidly filling buckets. When the expert arrived I was stood down, all I could do is think how lucky we were to not have a problem like that... And how ridiculously wet my clothes had become.

She's on Her Way

Mum is coming down to visit Bristol tomorrow for the Totterdown Arts Trail so we did a bit of prep work for her stay. In between video editing there was a trip to the shops and a jaunt up to the board game night up the road. The owner also happens to be one of the key organizers for the arts trails so we got chatting about that and I got an early booklet too. We're really going to hit the ground running tomorrow - can't wait to support so local artists!

Rain or Run

I was feverishly checking my weather app this morning to figure out when was best for me to go on my run. The earlier the better was the consensus, so before my morning coffee I trotted around the park once again. The last run I did this week I felt great after, this time I just wanted to be sick. You have good ones and bad ones though, eventually they all turn into 'decent' ones.

I continued to beaver away at my video editing today. It's funny how all the hotkeys and tricks are coming back to me gradually. I am losing a bit of steam on it though as I'm hitting that big wall of self doubt. Just gotta surpress those emotions and get it into the world, otherwise it'll linger over me for years.

Goblin Wannabe

Went a little square eyed editing my latest video. I cut together all the voice over I did which usually gives me a ballpark of video length. We're looking at a near 20 minute final piece, might as well bea David Lean film at this point because that's quite an epic length by my standards. 

Rebecca was due to go out with a friend of hers this evening so I was preparing to go full-on goblin mode at home. We're talking frozen pizza for dinner, no washing up and pyjamas at 6pm. But no, I had to stay dressed and make stuffed aubergine for supper. Being an adult is tough yo.

Double Win

Set myself two tasks today:

1. Get started on my next video. As the script was done all that's left to do is record audio and splice together the footage. It's been a hot minute since I've done some voice over work so I was a little rusty speaking into the microphone. At one point I was contemplating using Rachel's infamous recording booth but I figured Rebecca's desk would work just as well. This script is easily my longest yet so getting it all in the can and cut together is going to take a bit of time. Still, I did the performative part of the process (which I often find the most stressful) so that's a win in my book.

2. Make sausage rolls. As part of our ongoing bake off tradition we are keeping with themed bakes around each week. It was party week so I wanted to make some finger food. Paul Hollywood has a video on sausage rolls so it seemed perfect. I caramelized onions and bought sausage meat this morning then assembled later on. I couldn't get over how impressive they looked out the oven, they tasted rather good too. Another win in my book.

Return to Homebrew Video

 Did a bit of job browsing and signed myself up for a Facebook group full of 'my people's. I'm undergoing a rigorous vetting process because being a script supervisor is pretty exclusive business (?). I also got to work on what I reckon will be my next YouTube video. I think it's time to finally create the damn thing that I've had ruminating in my brain for 3 years. I've sat polishing the script for too long now and I just want it out of my life to a hopefully adoring audience. Realistically it'll only get a few hundred watches but at least I have made my mark on the world. It feels good to be putting my mind to something again though.

Spicy Fingernails

The Canadian maple syrup keeps on giving and played beautifully over the top of Rebecca's US style blueberry pancakes. While I could have eaten 2 dozen more of them, I never would have squeezed out of the house to do the Sunday Shuffle up North Street. We had a small shopping list this time for some more bespoke foods, top of my life was chili peppers. As a homemade Christmas gift for a few lucky people I thought I'd re-try my hand at making some hot sauce. I bought a half kilo of peppers from a nearby green grocer without much of a gauge in their heat so once I got home I did some spice sampling... That was a mistake. Another mistake was not wearing gloves while doing the prep with the chilies, I was too proud and now the underside of my fingernails haven't stopped tingling. Once they all got squeezed into the mason jar it all looks quite pretty, fingers crossed the end product isn't enough to kill a horse with spice.

Sodden Spaces

A fine layer of paint dust covered most of our home from top to bottom after a recent workman plied his trade. So we got to work and systematically went through every room and gave it a medium-deep clean. Opening kitchen cupboards to find mould on the outside of lots of bits is often disheartening, but this became a common factor for the day. Our dehumidifier does it's best but maybe we need some mould nuking spray bottle that kills it dead. Our home is a bit like a canvas tent at times, if anything touches a wall for too long it's borderline sodden.

Rebecca and I needed a treat afterwards so went out to a hand pulled noodle and soup place for dinner. It was very hearty and honest there, a chap in the back is always on show pulling and pounding noodles - might just be for show but it's a good vibe in there.

Seven Up!

I don't know why but I'd been putting off one film series off for years and years. Perhaps I didn't know when was a good time to start, but there's no time like the present. Seven Up! is the seminal British documentary series that will go on to span half a century for the subjects, all of whom are only children now, growing up roughhousing and dreaming of their futures. I'm already so eager to see the subsequent films just to see their trajectory through life and the unexpected hurdles they will likely encounter.

Otherwise today I played a short game called Monuments to Guilt - a digital museum you can freely explore dedicated to exploring the design if public benches. Specifically, how they are now built to be as unergonomic as possible, adding bumps and large arm rests to deter rough sleepers at the expense of our neighbourly attitudes to our fellow man. Good stuff basically.

Unmoored

With the weather being indecisive, so too was I today. I got plenty of outside the home errands done, took my laptop in for repairs and went to a retail park to get some bits and pieces. Rebecca got caught in the rain so while on my travels I went and scooped her up like the dutiful boyfriend I am. I'm feeling a little adrift at the moment as I haven't got my sights locked in anything big on the horizon. If nothing materialise soon I'll have to make up my own projects.

Eyeline Oracle

My first day as a Scripty without any handrails. I dove into a short film about roads and traffic while giving hugs and handshakes to a few members of crew I worked alongside on Rivals. I always forget how important my role is sometimes, I was the oracle of eyelines as several members of crew, including the DOP and Director referred to me multiple times a day. I'm pretty confident I gave the correct advice in every instance and what we shot benefited from it. It helped massively that the cast were great and hit all their lines every time. I wrote up my report, sent an email and realized, that was all I had to do for the day. No baggage, no big prep for tomorrow, I just dropped my tools and left. Man, Production is a bit ropey when you think about it.

Wet Legs

 Did a wee bit more mental prep work for my big day as a Script Super tomorrow. I also took a peek at the weather forecast tomorrow which looked like the definition of grim. So I went out and bought myself some waterproof over-trousers which loads of people on set tend to wear. The more prepared I look and feel the better I'll be able to sell myself I reckon. Feeling good about tomorrow though, I think it will be a bit of fun. Alarm is set for early o'clock, let's do Wednesday!

A Couple of Butterflies

Reacclimated myself with the role of Script Supervisor as I begun my prep work for Wednesday. I keep getting those kind of pre-job interview butterflies whenever I start to really think about what I need to do on the day. It will be totally fine I know, but I just want it to go well and leave a good impression. I got the script on my software now though which is half the battle, tomorrow I'll do the final re-treads and the. I'll be waking up nice and early for the fun. I don't miss the early mornings I can tell you that for free.

Bonfire '23

I like to use the 'Rebecca out of town's days to catch up on black and white movies and video games. That was my morning before the supermarkets opened up, then it was back to chores and weekly shopping. We had Louis and Rachel round for another glimpse at the Victoria Park bonfire which always burns bigger than I remember. We put Classic FM on for the cat and that seemed to get her through the fireworks... She's going to have better music taste than me if people keep the pyrotechnics up for much longer tonight.

Vampire Survivors

A workman popped round this morning to install our new radiator, which is also the final piece of the puzzle for our hallway renovations for the year. Hurray! 

So I spent a few hours this morning huddled in a room with the cat but still making myself available to the chap in case he had questions. I was browsing the app store on my iPad and spotted they had the game that won last year's BAFTA for best game. Vampire Survivors is exactly what I expected it to be. A dopamine drip pipe where you watch numbers go up as screens of bad guys disintegrate thanks to your holy weaponry. I got to a point with it today though where I unlocked so many power ups that I literally just left the game running and did the washing up. I came back 10 minutes later as the game played itself - all the attacks happen automatically so minimal input is required from the player. I had a horrible epitome. What the hell was I doing with my life? I was watching a game play itself. I'm actually rendered speechless when I remember it's a BAFTA winning title, every person who included it in their end of year review write up boasted about how many hours they sank into it. You can't just guild a time killer app to justify your how you spent your existence on watching tiny numbers go up and enemies melt. No one in their deathbed will say, 'Damn, I wish I played more Vampire Survivors'. I just feel embarrassed of ever having played it now.

A Fine Writing Desk

Despite our decorator flaunting his 'dust free power sander', I found every surface in the dining room had a fine layer of Timeless™ dust over everything. This served as a good excuse to reclaim my writing desk that has previously been my dumping ground for work - old paperwork, holepunchers, broken pens... You name it, it was there. I paired it all down and sat there again to get a feel for using that space for work and remembered why I still have fond lockdown memories of doing personal projects there. Come Monday, I'll be there doing bits and pieces to nurture my soul.

Protect the Paint

Our decorator finished up in our hallway today and it looks great now! No more salmon pink from the render, it just looks like a nice, normal space now that's so much lighter. No doubt I'll act extra careful around the space for the next few days in fear of scuffing it but we can't be too precious in this life.

I met up with my old Production Manager for a few games around his house on the river. The storm recently meant that it's close to flooding down there, shame because he's now the co owner of a boat and I'm keen to take it for a spin. Was great to catch up with him though and get a sense on how he's been doing since Rivals finished.

Hot Pizza

Spruced up the old CV today, adding in all the relevant bits from Rivals and made myself sound more like a dreaming Script Supervisor. I did this in between making batches of pizza sauce for our guest tonight. I made the first load of it and tested it on a piece of bread to create a poor man's pizza - it was super tasty but I was heavy handed with the chili flakes so I whipped up some more without the spice. It was all for nought though, when it came to making my custom pizza I got greedy and overloaded it with sauce! Let that be a lesson, less it more when it comes to toppings sometimes...